fleas.....

[Emilie]

what more can i say? we are totally infested. we have bombed once- took all clothes bedding etc to be cleaned- vaccuum and spray daily and they are swarminbg our home.... biting my babies and us....
'help:

[RiverSky]

Originally Posted by Emilie

what more can i say? we are totally infested. we have bombed once- took all clothes bedding etc to be cleaned- vaccuum and spray daily and they are swarminbg our home.... biting my babies and us....
'help:

Have you tried borax on the carpets, left overnight, then vacuumed?

Have you tried diatemaceous earth sprinkled outside of your house, all around the perimeter of your house?

Are your pets now on flea drops? Advantage or Frontline? (the Hertz stuff is even more toxic and doesn't even work)

There is a prescription a veterinarian can give you that will kill fleas on your pets within 24 hours, can't recall the name of it.

I wouldn't bomb again if I were you, that is so toxic. I actually called my pest control service when we had fleas and the owner told me that for them to treat our home would cost over $400 and that vacuuming and cleaning and getting flea meds on the cats would be just as effective.

I don't know for sure if this works but it seemed to work for me. I took a spray bottle filled with white vinegar and I sprayed it on every plush surface and every bit of carpet then let it dry. I lifted the cushions of the couches, vacuumed every surface, then sprayed vinegar all over.

Hmmm, you might want to google this, but isn't lavender oil a deterrent for fleas? Perhaps if you put lavender E.O. on your babies' clothing (perhaps a part that they can't mouth) and on yourself, it would give you some relief? Or what about trying citronella?

[Emilie]

thank you for all the ideas. i have heard borax is toxic- i have done 2 rooms with it before i heard?
do you think it uis fine if i just sprinkle it- then vaccuum- no let her in areas till i do?
thanks!

[volcaniclava]

I think borax is better than bombs! and we frontline - we just keep he kids away from the animals for 24-36 hours. frontline is amazing

[Emilie]

we have been frontlining as well.

[RiverSky]

Originally Posted by Emilie

thank you for all the ideas. i have heard borax is toxic- i have done 2 rooms with it before i heard?
do you think it uis fine if i just sprinkle it- then vaccuum- no let her in areas till i do?
thanks!

I have never heard that Borax was unsafe or toxic. I have actually found it recommended on all sorts of safe cleaning websites. With a quick search, I couldn't find anything regarding this. Do you have any links that you can share?

[Emilie]

nope- just a friend from the park. i am glad it is safer...
thanks!
i also know it is used in kids play dough- so it must be safe....

[chel]

what type of pet do you have? I had great luck with the vet drops (unsure if advantage or frontline). I had 3 indoor cats and only had to use the drops once or twice in the summer. Vacuum daily. I also had great luck with those nightlight/flea trap devices that I used year round.

[littlemama06]

Use salt, plain old table salt, the kind with iodine in it. Buy 3 boxes(cheap- 3 for $1.00) for each room and cover the carpets and floor. Wait 24 hours adn then vaccum, iam not sure how it works but it does. .Our house was infested when we came home from the hospital with the baby and this is what we did and it worked.
Kaitlin

[Emilie]

wow. thanks.
em

[Merilin]

Originally Posted by littlemama06

Use salt, plain old table salt, the kind with iodine in it. Buy 3 boxes(cheap- 3 for $1.00) for each room and cover the carpets and floor. Wait 24 hours adn then vaccum, iam not sure how it works but it does. .Our house was infested when we came home from the hospital with the baby and this is what we did and it worked.
Kaitlin

Watch out, that this is not a humid - muggy day. The table salt will extract water from the air, and your carpets will get damp and might get moldy!

Merilin

[oldcrunchymom]

Borax is not toxic. You are probably thinking of boric acid. Borax (20 Mule Team) is laundry powder available in the grocery store next to the detergent. And it's the only thing I've found to actually work on tough cases of fleas, along with Advantage. Personally I would leave it in the carpets longer than 24 hours--at least a week if you can stand not vacuuming that long. The goal is to break the flea life cycle. Borax, diatomaceous (can't spell that) earth, salt, etc, work by scoring and drying out the flea eggs so the little suckers die before they're born. So the longer you can leave it in the carpet, the better. And don't forget to move furniture and do under there too. Treat your cat with Advantage.